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String Quilt Technique
Hello everyone, I have a question. I have never made a string quilt although I have made a lot of projects using strip sets I have sewn together.
In most of the instructions for string quilts they suggest you use a fabric foundation, ie. here: http://quiltingdigest.com/colorful-s...se-for-scraps/ I am curious as to why the foundation is used. Why not just sew the strips together?? |
I suspect it's because most string quilts end up having a lot of bias on the edges of the blocks.
I made a string quilt without a foundation. I sewed strips together to make a strata, but before I cut them into triangles or blocks, I starched the snot out of them to manage the bias. 😉 |
You can sew strips together if they are on the straight of grain. A foundation really helps if you are sewing random scraps together when you have all different grain lines.
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I have tried making string blocks many different ways over the years. When I don't use a foundation, they wiggle out of square for me, even when I make them oversized and then cut them with a square. A piece of thin muslin works although the result is a somewhat heavier quilt. I now usually use foundation paper (newsprint, old telephone book pages, etc.) even though I hate removing the paper. The unavoidable bias edges just seem to need a bit of shoring up.
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I bought a mess of interfacing at JoAnns that washes away in water ( dissoluble) to use as a base for my million string strips. I used a couple of 50% coupons over two days to get enough. Once the top is quilted and washed it should be stable enough to hold up. At least that's my plan.
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I use fabric dryer sheets after they come out of the dryer as some of my foundation for string blocks. They do make rectangular blocks rather than squares. For 2 different quilts I used these in the following manner: I sewed the blocks into long strips, trimmed them evenly, then cut in half. Now I had twice as many long strips about 3" wide, which I used as borders for the quilts, which were scrappy. Bonus borders! They use up scraps & are great for when I need mindless sewing.
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Originally Posted by lindaschipper
(Post 8466858)
I bought a mess of interfacing at JoAnns that washes away in water ( dissoluble) to use as a base for my million string strips. I used a couple of 50% coupons over two days to get enough. Once the top is quilted and washed it should be stable enough to hold up. At least that's my plan.
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shortening your stitch length helps with the removal of paper. I use phone book pages and a stitch length of 1.8 on my bernina If you start removing the paper on one edge and go in order so you always have one side to lift up, it goes pretty fast to remove. I usually do it while watching netflix or something. Get all comfy on the couch with a waste basket nearby. I also keep a knitting needle or a tweezers if I get to a stubborn piece.
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I have used an old sheet for foundation. I have also used tissue paper, which worked very well and was easy to remove. For the triangle blocks in the attached photo, I did not bother with foundation, because the multi seamed sides were anchored by solid sides. I just made sure that the multi seamed side was underneath when joining. I let my feed dogs help with any stretch.
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Originally Posted by Conchalea
(Post 8466864)
I use fabric dryer sheets after they come out of the dryer as some of my foundation for string blocks. They do make rectangular blocks rather than squares. For 2 different quilts I used these in the following manner: I sewed the blocks into long strips, trimmed them evenly, then cut in half. Now I had twice as many long strips about 3" wide, which I used as borders for the quilts, which were scrappy. Bonus borders! They use up scraps & are great for when I need mindless sewing.
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